Summer Nights
by elsiecarson
Summary: Leo has been back in New Bedford for a year and he and May had accepted everyone's match making attempts. Now Leo is proposing on a warm summer night. Grace may be thrilled, but what about Robert?
1. I Think I Wanna Marry You

"Kiss me." May requests as Leo and she walk through the garden in her backyard. He's been back for a year and she can't imagine life without him now. They're holding hands as they walk under the trees in the backyard.

Leo turns towards May, puts his hands on her shoulders and kisses her gently. As he pulls back again from May she sees tears shimmering in his eyes, which confuses her. He's not usually an emotional person. She decides not to ask Leo about it at the moment. She looks up at the stars shimmering above her and she smiles. This small town, New Bedford, is the perfect stargazing place second only to Bass Lake. When May looks back to Leo he's down on one knee with a velvet box in his hand. He takes a deep breath and says to her, "Please don't interrupt me while I say this. I'm terribly nervous." May merely nods so that she doesn't interrupt. "May, I have loved you for as long as I can remember. You're the love of my life. Make the circle complete and say you'll marry me."

May's eyes well up with tears. She sits gingerly on Leo's knee and cups his face in her hands. May looks into Leo's smoky blue eyes and says, "It would be my honour to marry you. It took you long enough to ask." May teases.

"It shouldn't have taken me as long as it did. It's my greatest regret." Leo says as he takes her left hand in his and places an elegant, understated diamond solitaire on her ring finger after slipping off the rings from her late husband. "When should we tell everyone our wonderful news?"

"We'll have to tell the family as soon as possible, but let's wait before we announce it to the town. I just want to enjoy this time early on in our engagement. I don't want to have to answer questions from certain members of this community." May says as they continue walking through the garden.


	2. Finally the Truth

"What were the tears about earlier?" May finally asks cautiously.

"The tears…were because…I never thought…I'd see you again…let alone have the opportunity to have a relationship with you. This moment was very emotional for me. I'd never hoped the way I did tonight. I hadn't forgiven myself and so I thought you'd never forgive me." Leo sighs as he finishes speaking.

"I'm glad you told me the truth. I didn't think I'd forgiven you either, until I saw you again. My emotions simply overwhelmed me and I was a young girl again. I couldn't have stayed angry at you even if I'd wanted to, which I didn't. You are the love of my life and my anger has softened over the years to nostalgia." May says as they arrive at the back pond and she leans over the surface to feed the fish. May sits down on the edge of the pond and pulls her shoes and stockings off and slips her feet beneath the surface of the cool water. The summer night is warm and humid and they'd been walking for so long that they are both sticky.

Leo sits next to her and drops his feet into the pond frightening the fish. He must have taken his shoes and socks off when May had her back turned to him. "We should take the kids to the lake tomorrow; it's so warm."

"If they're still speaking to us tomorrow." May giggles nervously. She realizes that her son and daughter won't be happy with her decision to remarry. May only hopes her grandchildren will be happy.

"Do you think someone won't talk to you because you're getting married? Why would you agree to marry me if you knew that certain people would be upset with you?" Leo asks incredulously.

"My son and daughter won't be happy with my choice. This is none of their business; it's my choice, not theirs. I said yes because I love you and I'm not willing to lose you again." May says as she scoots over and leans her head on Leo's shoulder.

Leo smiles at May. He picks up his shoes and walks across the grass in his bare feet and he flops into the hammock. "Come and join me," he says as he stretches out.

May turns and smiles at Leo before she dries her feet on the hem of her dress, picks up her shoes, and walks slowly towards him. May climbs carefully into the hammock and cuddles into Leo's arms. "Are you staying the night?" May asks as she hold Leo's hand.

"If you want me to. Are you okay with me staying over? Your reputation isn't going to be destroyed is it?" Leo asks as he takes her hairpins out and strokes her hair.

"If I haven't destroyed my reputation on my own this certainly won't do anything. I would never have asked if I thought it was wrong to ask you to stay over. Besides, we're engaged now." May says as she runs her fingers through Leo's beautiful salt and pepper hair and places one hand on his chest.


	3. Telling the Family

"Should we head in and tell my children and our grandchildren our news?"

"I suppose so. There's no better time to tell them. I just hope it won't cause lots of problems for you." Leo says as he sits up and puts his socks and shoes back on as May puts her stockings and shoes back on. "I don't want you to be unhappy."

May sighs. She can't tell Leo that she won't be upset if her children don't approve of her choice, but she can't tell him that her children won't be upset either because she just doesn't know what will happen. They walk hand in hand back to the house. "Can I speak to all of you before you children head to bed?" May requests quietly.

"Of course, mother. What is it that you need to tell us?" Grace asks calmly as her brother Robert gets up and allows his mother to sit in the chair he'd just vacated. Leo sits on the arm of the chair and puts one arm around her shoulders.

May takes a deep breath and says, "Well you know that Leo and I have been getting closer again and that we care deeply for each other. Leo asked me to marry him tonight and I have accepted. I just wanted to make sure that the family we are creating with this union are comfortable with this." May says quietly as she places her hand on Leo's knee.

Leo's granddaughter, Maisey, comes over and throws her arms around her grandfather. "Congratulations. You've been so happy since you've been back in New Bedford. I'm glad you're doing this."

Leo puts his arms around his granddaughter and gives her a squeeze. "Thank you for your support, Maisey. You don't know how much I appreciate your vote of confidence."

May looks nervously at her children and chews on her thumb and waits for their reaction. She sees her son run his hands firmly over his face. "Mother, I can't believe you're even considering this. If you marry him he'll get a share in the mine. I don't approve at all, mother."

"Oh Robert, trust you to think of business first and your own mother's happiness second. I'm disappointed in you, Robert. I didn't raise you to be this way. He should have a share in the mine. Even if I wasn't marrying him he'd be getting a share in the mine. Leo helped find the silver deposit and he helped found the mine. I would appreciate a little consideration from you. I have enough of a brain to realize and recognize what I'm doing. Please trust me." May says as her eyes well up with tears.

"Mother, it's not that I distrust you judgement. I just don't like Mr. McGinty. I never have." Robert says bluntly.

"Robert, how dare you. You have seen how happy I've been with Leo and you're denying my happiness by saying this. I'm not going to be around forever and I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life." May says defensively.

"Mother, I want you to be happy and that's why I don't think you should do this. I don't want you to get your heart broken. Mr McGinty is a wanderer. What's to say he won't pack up and leave after you're married?" Robert asks seriously.

May sighs. "Let me field this question, May." Leo says as he squeezes her shoulder. "I won't be leaving your mother any time soon, Robert. I've finally found what I've searched for my entire adult life. I've loved your mother my whole life; I finally know what it feels like to be in love and I'm utterly unwilling to let her go now." Leo says seriously.

The tears are flowing around the room as Leo speaks and May buries her face in Leo's chest. "I'm sorry I underestimated you, Mr McGinty. Congratulations, mother!" Robert says after composing himself and then comes over and kisses his mother's cheek.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I appreciate your change of heart immensely. I know that you can be stubborn when you choose to be, so I love that you compromised." May says when she dries her tears.

Grace walks over to her mother's chair and kneels next to it. She takes her mother's hand between her two. She has tears streaming down her face. "I am privileged to witness such love as you two have. I'm glad you'll get to marry the love of your life now, mother." She says as she kisses her mother's cheek.

"What about you, boys? What do you think?" May asks as she shifts her position in her chair.

"It's nice to see you like this, grandma. You've been less grumpy and a lot happier since Mr. McGinty came into your life. We just want you to be happy, grandma. Right, Fat?" Hubert asks.

"Absolutely. We like Mr. McGinty very much and we'd be happy to have him as our grandfather. He cares about us and we care equally about him. Just be happy grandma, that's all we want for you: happiness." Henry says bluntly.

May opens her arms to her two grandsons and squeezes them tightly as tears pour down her face. "Thank you so much for your kind words, boys." May says as she dries her eyes. "It's time for bed. You go get ready and I'll come up and tuck you in in a minute."


	4. Joy, Anger and Indifference

"Can I see the ring, mother?" Grace asks as she comes back over to her mother. May extends her hand, with elegantly curved fingers, towards her daughter. "Oh, mother, it's stunning! Leo has very good taste! I never would have guessed!" Grace squeals as she looks at the ring.

"Oh, Grace, don't tease Leo so, though I have to say that he surprised me, too. He did a lovely job picking out my ring. I better go tuck the kids in." May says as she heaves herself out of her chair and winces as she puts weight on her bad ankle. Ever since her ankle had been broken during a mining accident it had never been the same. Her ankle has never healed properly and she's been walking with a cane since she was 35. May leaves the room and bumps in Robert who's sitting at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm surprised the children didn't run you over going up the stairs."

"They almost did." Robert says quietly. He reaches out to hold his mother's hand and gives it a tug. May sits down next to her youngest son and smoothes his hair back. Robert runs his hands over his face. "I'm sorry about my outburst, mother. I'm being selfish; if Mr McGinty makes you happy then I support you. I was thinking of father and I wasn't considering that not having my support could crush you. Maybe I'm just not being considerate enough overall. Toppy's so angry with me and I thought I'd alienated you too after what I said tonight. Mother, please forgive me for what I said earlier."

"You don't have to apologize, Robert. I know that you don't like to see someone replace your father, but that's not what's happening. I just want to be with someone who truly loves me. Please get to know Leo better. I know that you'll like him." May says as she pats Robert's back. May stands up.


End file.
